


Blast-Ended

by teacup_of_doom



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crack, Fire, Gen, I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, It's a little hard to kill someone that has Horcruxes, Major Character Death - sort of?, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Not My Fault, Not Really Character Death, Slightly OOC Harry, Sorry Not Sorry, The boys make a good team., This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Triwizard Tournament, not going to lie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-16 23:03:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2287736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teacup_of_doom/pseuds/teacup_of_doom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ending of the Triwizard Tournament goes a little bit differently. Things end with a bang - for some people, quite literally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blast-Ended

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize (amusedly) in advance. Rather, I have to explain. Sometimes my brain comes up with really, really, strange things. Like this one. Usually when I’m supposed to be watching presentations. 
> 
> In no way connected to my Master of London universe. 
> 
> Enjoy! (Try not to fall out of a chair laughing.)

 

* * *

 

Harry and Cedric glanced at each other, both panting, covered in grime, and dirt, and fresh scars. Their wands out, pointed at each other, each boy still on high levels of adrenaline from their journey through the maze. 

“You made it.” Cedric managed first. 

Harry nodded. “You too.”

There was an awkward pause. 

“Did you see Krum?” Harry asked. 

“He attacked me. I heard Fleur yell.” Cedric said. “Do you think -“

“I don’t know.” Harry said. He saw something glitter out of the corner of his eye. 

Both he and Cedric turned at the same time. The Triwizard Cup gleamed innocuously, invitingly. 

It was Harry who let his wand arm fall first. “You take it.” He said, looking at Cedric again, who looked at the younger boy disbelievingly.

“What? Why?” Cedric asked, slowly dropping his own wand arm, relaxing slightly, just as something back in the maze roared. “You got here first, Harry.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah. But I didn’t enter myself in the Tournament, remember? I never wanted to participate, let alone win.” Harry smiled. “Besides, if you take the cup, Hogwarts becomes the victor, and the tournament is over. I don’t want the prize money, or the supposed glory. It’s perfect. Take the Cup.”

A slow smile spread over Cedric’s face. “You’d be right.” He said, and then glanced towards the Cup, before glancing back at Harry. “You’re sure it’s ok? We can take the cup together. It would be fair. Like you said, it’d still be a Hogwarts win.”

Harry shook his head. “No. Thanks Cedric, but I never wanted any of this in the first place. Go on.” He gestured towards the Cup.

Cedric gave Harry a long, considering look, before clapping the younger boy on the shoulder. “Ok.” He strode towards the cup, Harry watching him go. 

It was a strange feeling, to know he’d come this far, and not be the one to take the Cup, to win. However, Harry was standing by what he’d said. He’d never wanted to be in the Tournament. He’d wanted one year, just one year where his life wasn’t filled with near-death experiences, and for once, he’d not wanted the limelight to be on him. It was a bit selfish, but if he didn’t win, if Cedric did, then for once, Harry would be getting exactly what he wanted. 

He was brought out of his musing by Cedric, who’d stopped perhaps a good two yards from the Cup, wand out, and was casting what looked like a diagnostic charm on the Cup. “Cedric?” He called. 

Cedric turned around. “There’s something…I don’t know, wrong, with the Cup.”

Harry jogged closer. “What do you mean?”

Cedric shook some of his sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes. “I’m not sure. Doesn’t it seem…this is going to sound odd, but…too alluring?”

Harry looked at the Cup. He was right. It gleamed, as inviting as it had seemed before, but there was something now that Cedric mentioned it. Something about the Cup was screaming; t _ouch me. Pick me up._

“I think you’re right.” Harry said finally, and then cautiously. “You don’t think…you don’t think they snuck in one more Task?”

Cedric shook his head. “No. Three Tasks for three Champions. That’s how the tournament always has been, I did some research.’

Harry nodded. “That’s what Hermione said too, and she must have looked in hundreds of books.”

Cedric smiled briefly. “Smart, your Hermione.”

They looked at the Cup, considering their options. Suddenly taking the Cup didn’t seem like a good idea to either of them.

Harry bounced on his feet, which he normally did when thinking. He stopped suddenly, and Cedric took notice. “What?”

“I have an idea.” Harry said tentatively. “It’s a bit…barmy.”

Cedric snorted. “How bad could it be? We’re stuck in a maze full of creatures that are waiting to kill us.”

Harry told him. Cedric laughed for a good thirty seconds before stopping to ask him if he was serious.

 

* * *

 

Fifteen minutes later, both boys were very gingerly levitating a gingerly stunned Blast-Ended Skrewt towards the Tri-Wizard Cup. 

“Barmy.” Cedric was muttering. “Brilliantly barmy.”

Harry grinned. “Thanks? I think?”

The Skrewt approached the Cup. 

“Theories?” Harry asked. 

“One” Cedric said. “The Cup is just a cup. Two, the Cup is a portkey, and it’s supposed to take us to the judging area.”

“Three.” Harry said, a little bit sarcastically. “The Cup is a portkey and, let’s face it, because I haven’t faced Voldemort - _don’f flinch_ \- this year, it brings us to him.”

The Skrewt wobbled in the air, and once it was stable again, Cedric glared at Harry. “ _Don’t even joke about things like that._ ” He breathed, calming down. “Or four, there is a secret fourth Task.”

They brought the Skrewt to a stop, just before the Cup. 

“If the Cup _is_ a portkey, and it takes the Skrewt to the judging area.” Harry said. “We’ll be able to hear the reaction.”

“If not, I hear you can do a corporeal Patronus.” Cedric said.

Harry’s brow furrowed. “What does that have to do with this?” 

“You can use it to send messages.” Cedric said. 

Harry’s eyes went wide. “That would have been really, really good to know last year.” He said, thinking of Sirius.

“Why?” Cedric asked, confused. 

“Tell you later,” Harry replied. “Why don’t we do this before the Skrewt wakes up?”

They pushed the Skrewt so that it was in contact with the Cup.

 

* * *

 

In the judging area of the TriWizard tournament, the stands had gone quiet after Bagman’s announcement that Harry and Cedric seemed to simply be standing by the Cup, talking to one another, but not making a move to touch the Cup itself. 

Now however, the noisy chatter had risen because something was coming out of the maze towards the judging area. 

“Here, what’s this?” Bagman was saying over the microphone. “It’s a Patronus! Only one out of our four Champions can produce one of those ladies and gents - that would be our Mr. Potter- and oh, it’s a stag! Who is it carrying a message for?“

The stag had stopped in front of Dumbledore, who was, conveniently, standing by the microphone. 

“Professor.” Harry’s tones came from the waiting stag. “It’s Harry and - and Cedric Diggory sir.” Cedric’s voice appeared as well. “We were just wondering. Was the Cup _supposed_ to be a portkey?”

Any speculation about what the boys might mean about the Cup, was drowned out by the astonishment at the sight of Professor Dumbledore sprinting towards the maze - at his age no less - and shouting for the Tournament to be finished at once, his teaching staff barreling towards the hedges on the former Quidditch Pitch. 

 

* * *

 

In the graveyard of the small town of Little Hangleton, everything was just a little bit on fire. 

Ok, more than a little bit on fire.

This included a small bundle, wrapped in rags. Whatever had been in it was definitely no more.


End file.
